The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 49: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

85 eee es “But you must come along with me all the same —’cause why, there’s a little paper you must just sign inside the mill. Is'nt that the dodge, Tim 2” Tt Ei is,” answered Gaffney; ‘and if the lady stands talking and bothering any longer in the middle of the road, I'm hanged if I don’t put an end to the whole business at once by blowin’ her brains out!” “You swear that my life is safe?” demanded the lady, regaining. some portion of her lost self- possession as she perceived the absolute necessity of yielding obedience to the ruffians who had her in their power. | _“ Pve told you so more than once,” replied Tim Gaffney. ‘s Lead on,” said the disguised lady to Bil Bax; “snd I will follow.” ‘Well, I rather think you had better go in front, ma’am,” said that individual; and he jast examined for a moment the knob at the end of his bludgeon, as if significantly to let the captive know. that it might be dangerous for her to make the slightest attempt at escape. Without another word the lady began to cross the plank ; and she reached a little low door open- ing into the mill. It stood ajar; and Bill Bax, who had followed her closely, told her to push it. She did so; and he then bade her walk in. But she stopped short. Within the place a deep dark- ness prevailed: and the lady’s heart was smitten - with terror at the idea of crossing that threshold. “Move on!” said Bax gruffly, at the same time pushing her from behind, so that she was perforce compelled to enter the building. He was close at her heels: she heard the door shut ; and now she was entombed in the most stu- pendous darkness, in the midst of which she was alone with that ruffian! So dire a terror seized upon her that her quivering limbs were about to give way and fail completely, when the sharp crack of a lucifer-match sounded upon her ears and a light flamed upon her view. It appeared that the- man Bax had a candle close at hand; and the lady felt as if a great weight were all in a moment lifted from her mind. She glanced upon the fellow’s face: he was a middle-aged man, with « sallow complexion, large overhang- ing eyebrows, and a very wide.mouth, Ugly al- most to repulsiveness, his appearance was even more sinister than that of his friend and accom- plice Tim Gaffney. Nevertheless, as he was now lighting. a candle, instead of preparing to murder her in the dark, the lady felt considerably reassured ; and t hope arose within her that her life was indeed safe and that her liberty could only be compromised for a short time. She lopked around; she was in a little passage, whence a steep narrow staircase led upward, a rope serving as 4 substitute for a handrail. “Go on, ma'am, if you please,” said Bax, whose yoice was naturally surly in its tone, and whose mode of speaking was coarse and peremp- tory. ‘I’ve lighted this heré candle for your ac- commodation; and you'll therefore have the good- ness.to make use of it without any more delay.” She ascended the staircase, and then found her- self in a room where there were portions of the -huge massive machinery of the mill; and still Mr. Bax, who kept close at her heels, bade her move on. She traversed the room, at the opposite extremity of which there was a door; and this led into another compartment where there was another ascent of steps. These the disguised lady mounted: another room was reached—and then a complete labyrinth of places formed by different portions of the machinery, was threaded, until a light was seen emanating from a door that stood half open. “Now,” said Bax, with a grim smile, “let me do the honours of my own house. Walk in: though it isn’t everybody that would introduce such a dashing young spark as you are to one’s wife!” Thus speaking, Bax led the way into a room, where there were some few little articles of furni- ture—such as a bed, a table, three or four chairs, some crockery, and culinary articles. A woman of an aspect even more repulsive than that of Mr. Bax himself, rose up from her seat as soon as the door opened; and as her husband whispered some- thing in her ear, she immediately began to con- template the disguised lady with wonder and cu- riosity. “Well, it wouldn’t have struck me at first,” she said, “unless you had given me the hint”— and she turned towards her husband. “But what does it mean ?” “You'll see all about it presently,” answered Bax “ Tim’s here.” ‘‘Oh, then that was fis whistle?” woman. Bax nodded an affirmative; and the disguised lady thought to herself, “ Then it must be a com- plete gang of ruffians into the midst of whom f have fallen. God help me!” Still however she hugged the belief that her life was safe; for there was something reassuring in the presence of a female, even though it was as repulsive a specimen of the sex as Mrs. Bax. “Sit down and make yourself at hame, ma’ai,” said the man, as he extinguished the candle which he had brought in his hand; for there was another burning on the table. ‘You see,” he continued, “it don’t do to have much light. The people in the neighbourhood have already seen it more than once——” “Well, Bill, and so much the better!” ejacu- lated his wife; “for they spread the report that the mill’s haunted, and so no one comes to inter- fere with us.’ “Ah! but if a light was seen burning regu- larly,” rejoined Bax, ‘there might be some of the farmers in the neighbourhood that- wouldn’t ex- actly believe it was the doing of ghosts, and would come with a dozen or so of their men to root out whoever they might find here. For they would soon get it into their heads that there was tramps, or gipsies, or thieves secreted in the olf mill.” “Well, well,” said the woman, “ you've taken precaution enow, with them shutters all covered over with brown paper pasted over every cranny and crevice.—But I say,” she added, suddenly lowering her tone and drawing her husband a little aside; “are we right to talk in this way in the presence of the stranger 2” “ Oh, I darésay there is no harm in it ” replied Bax. “You know that Tim Gaffney is d shrewd wide-awake feliow ; and he wouldn’t have brought the lady here unless he had some strong hold over her and could bind her to silence. However, we shall see in a few minutes. He has just gone to put the horse and gig up in the shed.” said the COMO oO tt ae arr a a THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. Colin